A Great and Terrible Shuffle
by Nico'sGirl
Summary: I took the iPod shuffle chllenge. It was pretty hard, but I am still alive to show you the fruitof my labor.


Disclaimer: I do hereby swear I do not own any of these characters. Just the kickass plots of these ficlets. Love, Nico'sGirl

All right, here are the rules:

Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.

Turn your iPod on and set it to shuffle.

Write a ficlet inspired by each song that plays. You MUST stop when the song ends!!!

Do ten of these, then post them.

I must warn you, I lost my iTunes password before I could use it, so the music is mostly Beatles and They Might Be Giants, and whatever else I could find in my house on a CD. I do have Now 28, Natasha Bedingfield, and Leona Lewis though!!!

Michelle- The Beatles

"All right, my ladies!" Mrs. Nightwing drones out. "The time has come to perfect our waltzes." Ann and I pair up, while Felicity and Pippa join each other. I do hope I can learn to at least not make to large of a fool of myself when Assembly Day comes. Nightwing places the needle upon the scratchy record. It is a slow waltz, a drowsy love song. I fall into it…. Breathing deep. I should be focusing on my feet. But why am I suddenly seeing a face before my eyes? Kartik…

Super Trooper- Abba

"Are you ready?" Kartik nervously asks me. He has never gotten used to the way I pull the door of light from oblivion to carry us away.

"Of course." The door appears and I lead him through. We enter the garden, and, like always, Kartik's eyes go wide in awe. I laugh as we fall to the grass, rolling in it. When we sit up, we are covered in glittery sap. I breathe in and there is a delightful sweet scent in the air.

"Promise me something, Gemma." Kartik says to me. I look to his face and his eyes are intense, though he smiles.

"What?" I ask.

"Promise me we'll never change. That _this_ will never change."

"Alright," I murmur, "Alright."

Bad Boy – The Beatles

I sit in my tent. I pull out my weathered journal to record the events of the day. Miss Doyle has been particularly difficult. She refuses to listen to me. That much was made clear when she stood up to me after the Spiritualist meeting. I sigh. Miss Doyle is something foreign to me, an obstacle the likes of which I have never seen… What shall I do?

A Self Called Nowhere- They Might Be Giants

I sit on my bed. Gemma has left. Felicity and Pippa came for her. No doubt she shall become a victim of another of their viscous pranks. I look around. No one is here. I open my sewing kit, trying to be as quiet as possible.

I pull out the needle and look at it, just staring for many minutes. I place it against the thin skin of my wrist, but pull back, leaving no mark. I can't, I shouldn't. But I place the needle back to my skin, and prick myself, barely. I stop. I felt it. Isn't that enough? No. I'm no longer doing this for experimental good. I am doing it for sadness now. I stab myself, pulling the needle back again and again. I cannot stop if I tried.

She's Leaving Home- The Beatles

I open my eyes. Felicity is still sleeping. I don't want to wake her. I dress myself. I struggle to lace my corset, but I manage. I pen a quick note and leave it upon her pillow, next to her head. Her darling eyes stay closed. The note reads:

_Fee,_

_I have gone to breakfast. I didn't want to wake you after last night. I will see you in class_

_Love, _

_Pip_

I slip out the door and head to breakfast.

Whatever It Takes- Lifehouse

"Fee…" I murmur. As I do this I catch sight of my ghostly pale hand. I wrench my hand away, not wanting her to see how I've changed. "Fee, Fee, Fee. It's still me. The same old Pip. I'm here!" I lie. It kills me to do this. It will only hurt her more when she finds out exactly what sort of grim changes I have undergone. But I cannot bear to lose this. I just want to have this one moment, to have us together. It will be worth it. For now. For now, it will have to be enough.

Pet Name- They Might Be Giants

Betrayed. That's what I am. Kartik. I trusted him. Ha, foolish. I was foolish, foolish me. What would Fee or Ann say if they saw what he had done to me? They would laugh and I would be Gemma the clown. Gemma the gullible. Gemma the heart-broken. I tried to be as angry as possible. That way the pain wouldn't show through. He had led me on. And with just a little bit of wooing on his part I had fallen for it. And him. I pace the length of my room. I can't bear to join Ann at dinner. I can't eat now. I look to my window. The Gypsy camp can be seen from here. I pound on the icy glass. I let out a wild scream. This collapses into a sob and I crumple there on the floor. Where at least he can't see.

I Bruise Easily- Natasha Bedingfield.

Gemma is certainly the most beautiful girl I have seen. Better than Felicity Worthington was by far. Can she tell I'm giving her everything? Can she tell I want her to be my bride more than anything else? I am Simon Middleton! She should be dying to be mine as well. But no. She is distracted. I feel a brand-new emotion inside me. Strange. I wonder what she is thinking about. Or who. So is this what jealousy feels like? I've never felt this before. Gemma Doyle is all I want right now. I can see our wedding, our names carved in a tree. Simon + Gemma…. A love-heart of our own, to show all just how much we love each other. If only…

Feels Like Tonight- Daughtry

How. How could I do this to her. Gemma. Headstrong, insolent Gemma. Beautiful, loving Gemma. I need to find a way. A way to make everything better, to apologize to her. But how can I? I've already done enough. I should leave, go back to the Rakshana. But why can't I seem to leave the grounds of Spence? Her presence is like a voice calling my name sweetly. I'm addicted to her, and I can't seem to pull myself away. There must be a way to make this better. I won't rest until I find one. Never.

Silent Movie- Natasha Bedingfield

Why must there be these prejudices? I wish that Kartik and I could escape. We would leave all of this behind. My season, the realms, the Rakshana, the Order. It would all disappear and we would be left in our own world, to our own devices. We could break away from all the things that held us in bondage and apart from each other. We would no longer be just pawns, features, characters with our fates and castes determining our moves long before we even make them. We could make our own choices, become real. We would decide our own destiny for a change. That would make it all better.


End file.
